The Verge
Playing with Hasbro’s ultimate toy, the $750 self-transforming Optimus Prime
Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge
It’s a real robot, with some real robot issues
The VergeThe VergeApple Arcade is getting a new Castlevania game
With the exception of an anime series on Netflix, the last few years have been quiet when it comes to the gothic action series Castlevania. It looks like that’s about to change, though: developer Konami just announced a new game coming exclusively to Apple Arcade.
The new title is called Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls, and it’s described as “an original side-scrolling action game that features a line-up of classic, well-loved characters from the series’ hit catalogue.” The graphics certainly look like a departure for the series, but there are some notable names on board, including character designer Ayami Kojima and composer Michiru Yamane, both of whom have contributed to the series since the iconic Symphony of the Night. Grimoire of...
The VergeGo read this report about a Snopes editor who plagiarized other news sites
A Snopes editor reportedly plagiarized other news sites | Image: Snopes
A startling new report from BuzzFeed News finds that the co-founder of Snopes, a website known for fact-checking and debunking fake news items, was himself plagiarizing other news outlets under a phony byline, his own name, and a Snopes byline for several years.
According to BuzzFeed:
...between 2015 and 2019, [David] Mikkelson wrote and published dozens of articles containing material plagiarized from news outlets such as the Guardian and the LA Times.
Snopes did an internal investigation, according to BuzzFeed’s report, and uncovered the plagiarized work, all of which it plans to retract. Snopes’ vice president of editorial Doreen Marchionni told BuzzFeed that plagiarism “had no place in any context within this organization.” The...
The VergeMatter’s interoperable smart home standard has been delayed to 2022
Matter — the upcoming smart home standard that looks to help unify Google, Apple, and Amazon’s separate smart home systems into a single cross-functional standard — has been delayed again to sometime in 2022, Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) CEO Tobin Richardson announced in a blog post.
While Matter itself has a “feature-complete specification,” the group still has to finish developing the SDK and the certification program by which developers will be able to get both existing and new hardware officially labeled as Matter-approved. While the original goal was to have much of that work done this year, with the first Matter-certified hardware rolling out by the end of 2021, the new timetable pushes that out to sometime vaguely in the...
The VergeGoogle’s Nest Hubs will warn users about nearby pollution and smoke
The new Nest Hub Max is displayed during the 2019 Google I/O conference at Shoreline Amphitheatre on May 07, 2019 in Mountain View, California. | Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Google is adding air quality data to its Nest Hub smart displays. While the new feature is still only available in “select” US markets, it’ll give some users an idea of how much risk they might face from smoke and pollution in the area.
It’ll give some users an idea of how much risk they might face
Google says it will roll out the new feature “over the coming weeks.” An Air Quality Index badge will show up on the clock and weather widget on the Nest Hub’s Ambient screen. Anyone who doesn’t want to see the badge will be able to opt out.
The data comes from the Environmental Protection Agency, which rates air quality on a scale from zero to 500, with zero being the best air quality. It also color-codes its ratings in categories ranging...
The VergeStudios still need movie theaters, and they’re making the deals to prove it
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
During the course of the pandemic, the future of movie theaters looked grim. Cinema owners teetered on the edge of bankruptcy amid ongoing closures and lockdown orders, and streaming services introduced new release models that made clawing back theatrical exclusivity even harder for already struggling exhibitors. Theaters appeared to be facing an existential crisis, close to being snuffed out by a world that no longer needed them for distribution.
But as cinemas have begun to reopen their doors and feature films finally make their silver screen debuts following prolonged delays, the story has started to change. In recent months, a number of studio owners have struck deals with exhibitors — including Regal parent Cineworld, Cinemark, and A...
The VergeCraig Federighi says Apple’s child safety scanning will have ‘multiple levels of auditability’
Apple executive Craig Federighi says iCloud Photos’ plans to scan for child sexual abuse material (or CSAM) will include “multiple levels of auditability.” In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Federighi — Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering — offered new details about its controversial child safety measures. That includes a claim that the iPad and iPhone’s device-level scanning will help security experts verify that Apple is using the system responsibly.
Like many companies with cloud storage services, Apple will check iCloud Photos images against a list from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), looking for exact matches with known CSAM pictures. But unlike many services, it will run...
The VergeFacebook shut down German research on Instagram algorithm, researchers say
Illustration by William Joel / The Verge
Researchers at AlgorithmWatch say they were forced to abandon their research project monitoring the Instagram algorithm after legal threats from Facebook. The Berlin-based project went public with the conflict in a post published Friday morning, citing the platform’s recent ban of the NYU Ad Observatory.
“There are probably more cases of bullying that we do not know about,” the post reads. “We hope that by coming forward, more organizations will speak up about their experiences.”
“the company cannot be trusted”
Launched in March 2020, AlgorithmWatch provided a browser plug-in that would allow users to collect data from their Instagram feeds, providing insight into how the platform prioritizes pictures and videos. The project published...
The VergeVergecast: Samsung’s new foldables and Apple addresses iCloud scanning concerns
Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge
Every Friday, The Verge publishes our flagship podcast, The Vergecast, where co-hosts Nilay Patel and Dieter Bohn discuss the week in tech news with the reporters and editors covering the biggest stories.
This week on The Vergecast, Nilay, Dieter, Alex Cranz, and Chris Welch discuss the hardware announcements from Samsung’s August Unpacked event, including the Galaxy Z Flip 3 and the Galaxy Z Fold 3. The crew discusses the upgraded features on this upgrade of the new foldables and question where they fit in the realm of Samsung’s flagship phones.
In the second half of the show, senior reporter Adi Robertson explains the important changes coming to Messages and iCloud with Apple’s new tools on the iPhone meant to combat child abuse, and...
The VergeRazer’s latest keyboard accessories offer an easy way to spruce up your mech
Razer’s PBT keycaps can now be bought with a matching USB cable. | Image: Razer
Razer is expanding its range of mechanical keyboard accessories with new keycaps, cables, and wrist rests which offer a convenient way to change the look and feel of your keyboard. The accessories start at $20 for the new wrist rests, ranging up to $50 for a customization kit that includes both colorful keycaps and a matching USB cable.
If you’ve spent any time on forums like the Mechanical Keyboards subreddit, then you’ll be no stranger to the fantastically colorful keycaps people like to customize their keyboards with. But beyond fast-growing enthusiast stores like Drop and Glorious PC Gaming Race, many of the best caps out there come from limited runs from smaller manufacturers, or with lengthy wait times. Razer’s designs might be...
The VergeAirbnb updating policy to end forced arbitration for sexual harassment cases for guests, hosts
Airbnb is updating its arbitration policy | Photo by Nikolas Kokovlis/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Airbnb said Friday it will change its terms of service so that its arbitration provisions “will no longer apply to sexual assault or sexual harassment claims” by its hosts (the people who rent out their homes on the platform) and guests.
The company said in a statement that “incidents of sexual assault are extremely rare on Airbnb,” and that the upcoming changes would “codify a practice we have already had in place.” Airbnb has not “asked a court fo force any of the very few cases involving sexual assault or sexual harassment claims by hosts or guests into arbitration” since January of 2019, and will continue to not enforce arbitration in such cases until the TOS are updated sometime in the fall.
“We believe that survivors should be...
The VergeNetflix isn’t the savior Nollywood needs
Lionheart. | Image: Netflix
The streaming giant meets one of the world’s biggest film industries
The VergeSamsung Galaxy A42 5G review: stuck in the middle
A midrange phone with a big screen, huge battery, and all kinds of 5G connectivity
The VergeVerge readers can snag three months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for $30
Microsoft’s flagship subscription combines Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Live Gold in one attractive package. | Photo by Nick Statt / The Verge
If you’re a gamer, Xbox Game Pass is one of the best deals in town. Microsoft’s popular subscription service — which touted more than 18 million subscribers earlier this year — has been dubbed the “Netflix of video games,” namely because it provides access to more than a hundred Xbox titles for a flat, monthly fee. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate takes things a step further, combining Xbox Game Pass with Xbox Live Gold, giving subscribers access to exclusive deals, online multiplayer, EA Play titles, and Microsoft’s cloud gaming service, xCloud, which is now widely available on iOS and PC.
Typically, a three-month subscription to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate runs $45. And while Microsoft’s ongoing promotion will knock the price down to $1 for new...
The VergeThe unsettling uncertainty of a breakthrough case
Photo by SAEED KHAN/AFP via Getty Images
Last weekend, a close friend texted me with the jarring news that her COVID-19 test had come back positive. She was vaccinated and had been since April. She got her first shot just a few days before I got mine.
Before I got that text, I’d been reminding my friends and family that some people who get vaccinated are going to get COVID-19 anyway. Vaccines aren’t perfect. I cautioned that when cases are surging, like they are right now in New York City, the raw number of vaccinated people who get sick is going to go up. Unvaccinated people still face even higher risks of catching the disease.
I know all of that. I think about those facts and statistics every day when I’m reading studies and checking transmission levels around the country....
The VergeRockstar is reportedly remastering its PS2-era Grand Theft Auto trilogy
Screenshot: GTA3
Rockstar Games’ Dundee studio is working on remastered versions of three classic PS2-era Grand Theft Auto titles: Grand Theft Auto 3, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, _Kotaku_reports. A late October or early November release is said to be tentatively planned for the titles, which could eventually be released for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S, Switch, PC, Stadia, and mobile phones.
Rumors of the remastered titles have been floating around for some time, but this month Rockstar Games’ parent company Take-Two Interactive confirmed it has plans to release “three unannounced” iterations of old games, alongside current-gen ports of GTAV, GTA Online, and Kerbal Space Program. However, considering...
The VergeAmazon moves Lord of the Rings production from New Zealand to UK
Amazon has decided to produce its upcoming Lord of the Rings TV series in the UK from the second season on. Although the first season was filmed in New Zealand, as with Peter Jackson’s movies, Amazon now says pre-production on season two will begin early next year in the UK while season one post-production continues in New Zealand through June.
It’s not clear exactly where the series will be shot. Amazon is shipping the complex sets it built for the first season over to the UK and is currently booking stages for them, according to Deadline. The company films several Prime Video series in the UK already, including _Good Omens_and Anansi Boys.
The move to the UK won’t be without controversy. Author J.R.R. Tolkien based Middle-earth’s Shire...
The VergeImmunocompromised people can get third COVID-19 vaccine shot, FDA says
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
The Food and Drug Administration will allow people with compromised immune systems to get a third dose ofthe Pfizer / BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines. The agency amended the emergency use authorizations for each vaccine to allow this specific group of people to get an extra shot.
Usually, the standard two doses are enough for a person to generate plenty of antibodies to fight off the coronavirus. But research done over the past few months shows that many immunocompromised people make too few antibodies or none at all. A third dose might give some of those patients the boost they need to produce antibodies. French officials have been recommending those patients get a third shot since April.
The Center for Disease Control and...
The VergeJake Paul will not face federal charges after FBI raid
Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images
The US Attorney won’t be filing any charges against Jake Paul, according to TMZ and a statement sent to The Verge by Paul’s lawyers. Paul was being investigated by the FBI, who raided his house, for his involvement in an incident that took place at an Arizona mall in May 2020.
These particular legal troubles began when Paul was filmed in and around a mall in Scottsdale, AZ, which was being looted in the wake of police brutality protests sparked by the murder of George Floyd. Paul denied participating in the looting (and wasn’t seen doing so in the videos that circulated on social media), but was still charged with criminal trespassing and unlawful assembly by the Scottsdale Police Department.
According to police, the charges against Paul...
The VergeAmid Black Widow lawsuit, Disney boss defends its pandemic release strategy
Image: Marvel
Following a high-stakes lawsuit over Disney’s day-and-date release of Marvel’s Black Widow on its Premier Access streaming platform and the company’s compensation of the film’s star Scarlett Johansson, the head of Disney today defended both the company’s payouts to talent as well as its decisions around various pandemic movie releases.
During the company’s third-quarter earnings call, Disney boss Bob Chapek explained the company’s multi-pronged approach to releasing its films throughout the pandemic, which included theatrical exclusives, straight-to-digital releases on Disney Plus, and a hybrid of both that saw films debut on Disney’s paid Premier Access platform the same day they premiered in theaters. Premier Access was chosen as the...
The VergeAmazon’s $1.5 billion Air Hub opens in Kentucky to speed up deliveries
Image: Amazon
Your Amazon packages may be getting an express ticket — Amazon has finished building its $1.5 billion air hub, located at the Cincinnati / Northern Kentucky International Airport, and has started operations there. Amazon started building the 800,000-square-foot facility in 2019, and it now boasts robots, miles of conveyor belts, and more.
A big benefit of having a centrally located place to process packages and get them on planes is speed — that’s why UPS has a hub in Louisville, Kentucky; FedEx ships many packages through Memphis, Tenessee; and DHL has a hub in the same airport as Amazon. Amazon’s press release says that the cargo hub will help with the “rapid transport of customer packages throughout the U.S.” Jeff Bezos also made that...
The VergeFacebook shouldn't be allowed to buy Giphy, says UK regulator
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
15 months ago, Facebook said it was buying the popular GIF search engine Giphy for about $400 million. Now the acquisition may be a bust, thanks to an antitrust probe by the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority.
In a preliminary findings report published Thursday, the CMA said the deal should be unwound because it will “negatively impact competition between social media platforms.”
The CMA’s reasoning for wanting to block the Giphy deal is as follows:
“Millions of posts every day on social media sites now include a GIF. Any reduction in the choice or quality of these GIFs could significantly affect how people use these sites and whether or not they switch to a different platform, such as Facebook. As most major social media sites that...
The VergeApple updates Eddy Cue’s title to better reflect its turn to services
Apple rolled out a small but meaningful update to senior executive Eddy Cue’s job title on Thursday that features an area of interest the company has long been focused on: services (via 9to5Mac). Eddy Cue is a longstanding veteran at Apple who helped build iTunes and the App Store, but his new title of “Senior Vice President, Services” reflects the company’s increasingly important side hustle, if not outright transformation into a media business and subscription peddler.
Prior to Thursday, Eddy Cue was senior vice president of internet software and services, with responsibilities that included overseeing the iTunes Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay, Maps, Search Ads, iCloud, and iWork. His new job description emphasizes Apple’s subscription...
The VergeFacebook office return delayed until 2022 in the US
Illustration by James Bareham / The Verge
Specifically citing concerns about a rise in cases of the delta variant of COVID-19, Facebook confirmed a Bloomberg report that it has pushed back plans for US workers to return to the office until next year.
Data, not dates, is what drives our approach for returning to the office. Given the recent health data showing rising Covid cases based on the Delta variant, our teams in the US will not be required to go back to the office until January 2022. We expect this to be the case for some countries outside of the US, as well. We continue to monitor the situation and work with experts to ensure our return to office plans prioritize everyone’s safety.
Just a few weeks ago, Facebook was still planning to have fully reopened offices by...
The VergeBill Gates wants in on Congress’ big climate infrastructure push
Bill Gates, billionaire and co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, speaks during the One Planet Summit in New York, U.S., on Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2018. | Mark Kauzlarich/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The bipartisan infrastructure deal could unlock a new stream of private funding for climate tech**—**and Bill Gates wants in on the action. Gates’ climate investment fund says that if the infrastructure bill moves forward, it will match$1.5 billion in government funds and put that money toward projects that are developing green technologies.
Breakthrough Energy, Gates’ climate fund, laid out four different uses for the money: developing green hydrogen fuels, sustainable aviation fuels, energy storage, and technologies that take carbon dioxide out of the air. It said on Twitter that the money could “fast-track” commercial demonstration projects across the US.
“Scale them up to a pretty gigantic level”
“Critical for all these climate...
The VergeWhatsApp, Twitter, and Facebook are reportedly blocked in Zambia during its presidential election
Photo by MARCO LONGARI/AFP via Getty Images
WhatsApp and other apps are reportedly blocked in Zambia during ongoing general elections being held in the country Thursday, according to digital rights organization Access Now and internet monitor NetBlocks. The block, affecting state-owned internet providers and other private networks, could be cutting off voters from a vital form of communication during a contentious election.
Lusaka Times, a local Zambian news organization, writes that officials from Zambia’s Ministry of Information and Broadcast Services considered shutting down internet access in the lead-up to election day, citing a desire to stop the spread of election misinformation. A dramatic decrease in election day internet traffic from WhatsApp, Twitter, Instagram, and...
The VergeDo we see others online as human?
Photo by Michele Doying / The Verge
I’ve often wondered if part of the reason that there is so much venom spewed on Twitter and other social media is that it’s difficult to actually recognize pieces of text on a screen as being from real, feeling human beings.
I was nudged into this thought by a recent Washington Post story about Brianna Wu, who had been the target of extreme harassment several years ago during the GamerGate situation. She is apparently getting contacted by some former members of that group, who are sending apologies and regrets for their past actions. The story reminded me of something that happened to me way back when, during the days of the BBS (bulletin board system).
Bear with me for a couple of paragraphs while I set the stage.
First, for those who...
The VergeHow in the world did these AMD RX 6600 XT GPUs sell at or under MSRP?
Every PC graphics card we’ve reviewed in months has come with a disclaimer — if you can find one at all, you won’t be able to buy it for anywhere near its MSRP. And yet somehow, we’ve stepped into a bizzaro world where a few retailers listed the brand-new AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT for at or under its $379 suggested retail price, as PC Gamer notes today.
Stock appears to have run out of the US cards while I was writing this post, but the UK cards still seem to be in stock, including a Sapphire RX 6600 XT Pulse for £374.99 at Overclockers and an XFX RX 6600 XT QICK 308 for £359.99 at eBuyer.
The US cards included a PowerColor AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT Fighter for $379.99, and a Gigabyte RX 6600 XT Eagle with triple fan for $379.99 as well, both at...
The VergeWindows 11 is getting updated snipping tool, calculator, and mail apps
The updated Mail app for Windows 11. | Image: Microsoft
Microsoft is improving some of the built-in apps available in Windows 11. Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel can now test new updates to the Snipping Tool, Calculator, Mail, and Calendar apps. Some of the updates are minor, but all are designed to match the new visual style in Windows 11.
Microsoft is replacing the classic Snipping Tool and Snip & Sketch apps in Windows 11 with a new Snipping Tool app that combines the best features of both apps. The Win + Shift + S keyboard shortcut will be the main way to take a screenshot in Windows 11, and it will activate the snipping menu with various options for selecting what content to screenshot.
Image: Microsoft
The updated Snipping Tool now has a dark mode.
Once a...
The VergeSamsung’s Galaxy Watch 4 calculates body fat from the wrist
Photo by Becca Farsace / The Verge
Samsung’s new Galaxy Watch 4 has a feature that can calculate body fat percentage and muscle mass, the company announced yesterday. It’s the latest tech company to offer a body composition feature, joining Amazon, which has a body fat percentage feature in its Halo Band.
Body fat is generally a better way to assess health than weight, but it’s often calculated using a metric called the body mass index (BMI), which is crude and inaccurate. If wearables prove accurate, they could give people a better resource to monitor their health, Diana Thomas, a mathematician who studies body weight regulation at West Point, told The Verge in June.
The Galaxy measures body composition using a technique called bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA),...